Happy Birthday Allie Cat!!!

My lovely niece Allie is turning eleven years old today, but not until 6:18 pm she has informed me. This girl is one of the greatest people in my life. She is so special to me. I can hardly believe that it has been eleven years since that Thursday early morning phone call my senior year of high school when we found out that her mom, Amy, was in labor. I remember driving to Dallas to the hospital and watching Amy go through labor, it was so sad to see her in so much pain. I remember standing at the door of the delivery room waiting to hear that first sweet cry, it seemed to take forever, but once I heard it I began to cry too. Allie is my first niece and I feel like we have a special bond. I spent many years giving her all the love I had to offer to a kiddo. I even shared a room with her for a few months when she was three. I wish that we still had opportunities to just hang out, but since I had a baby girl of my own those times are fewer and farther between. It has been such an honor to watch her grow into such an amazing young woman. She is beautiful and helpful and hilarious. I love you Allie Cat!!! Happy Birthday!!!!!!

Weekend in California

So this is a bit of a late post...we went to California last weekend and had a great time. We originally were heading out to stay in OC with Allan's sister, but the fires were to close and the ash and smoke caused them to head East to Palm Springs. We stayed at a great place called LaQuinta Resort and Spa which I highly recommend. It was so quaint and perfect for family. Claire had a great time reaquainting herself with her Mimi, Papa, Auntie Christie, Uncle George, and two of her cousins Anna and Camille. We got some great photos while we were out there which I posted below. Some of my favorites are of Claire and Camille these little cousins are just seven weeks apart.

The other great part of our trip (which unfortunately we didn't take pics of) was some friend time. We have really missed having close friends to hang out with. We spent most of Friday with Ben and Krista and then DJ and Jen met up with us for dinner which was great. Gig and I also headed back to Redlands for Krista's baby shower which was fun. We can't wait to meet her new baby girl Madyson when we are back out there for Christmas.

Claire and Camille
Helping push the stroller
Doing a little ballet
The surroundings were beautiful with flowers and spanish tile
Claire loves "making wishes" by throwing coins into fountains

I love this picture of Camille, she is so sweet
A little more cousin time
Pointing at the pretty flowers
Discussing the meaning of life =)
Claire telling the puppies to "stay"

Playing chase with Papa

Pumpkin Patch (Take Two)

We headed back out to the Pumpkin Patch again with both of my sisters and their kiddos the other day and had a great time. Claire went through her first hay maze with her cousin Jack leading the way. I love that she gets to spend so much time with her cousins it is so special that she is buikding such a strong bond with them from such an early age. She also went on her first hay ride which she seemed to enjoy. I love fall and family so this was a great way to spend a morning. Walking through the hay mazeJackson helping Claire find the exit
Allie and Jack- our little outlaws
Claire was very excited about this photo op in the pumpkin bucket
My sweet nephe Asher Case on the hay ride (how cute is that John Deere hat?!?!?!)

What is in a Name?

I got this from my sister, it is pretty darn funny...

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother & father's middle name)
Jeanne Lee (sounds like a bad action-movie actor to me)

9. NASCAR NAME: (name of your mother's dad, fathers dad)
Max Glennon

8. STARWARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, any 2 letters of your first name) Kavly

7. DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, fav animal)
Red Horse

6. SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Joy Lubbock

5. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav alcohol drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Blue Margarita

4. FLY GIRL/GUY NAME: (1st letter of 1st name, 1st 3 letters of your last)
E-Kav

3. GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Rocky Road Chocolate Chip... I don't think that that one works, but it does make me hungry. :)

2. ROCK STAR NAME: (current pets name, current street name)
Goober Veronica (I don't actually have a pet, but Goober was my favorite pet in the past)

1. STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Very Sexy Almond Joy

Autumn in Texas

Last week we had one pretty cool day and so I pulled out Claire's coat and tried her hat on her. She looked too cute and loved playing in the great weather. This is my favorite time of year. I have to say that only in the south would you put a fleece hat on your baby when it is in the fifties outside. Our neighbors from New York thought we were pretty comical. They were still wearing short sleeve shirts.

Helping Daddy

Allan worked really hard the other night to try and finish locking up a few more cabinets at the house. Claire really wanted to help out which to some daddys may have been really annoying, but not Allan. He is so patient and really takes the time to enjoy the little moments with his baby girl. It was such a cute moment when she grabbed the screwdriver and tried to mimic her daddy.

(Claire was in the middle of having some dry out the major diaper rash time, that is why she is naked as a jaybird)

A New Friend

This weekend one of my friends from high school. Alison, stopped by my parent's house with her super cute baby boy, Nate; as usual Claire loved the "baby". It was so fun to have a little time to catch up with her and play with her son. Alison is someone that I always knew would do just fine in life and I was right. I am proud of how she has chosen to live her life and I hope that we will actually stay in touch between now and the next reunion.

Class of '97

Well I did it, I went to my ten year reunion just outside of Riesel this last weekend. There were only about fifteen of the forty seven that made it and we didn't even manage to get a group shot of the whole crew. We had a good time going down memory lane. It was sad to hear how screwed up some of the lives of the people I went to school with have become. There are those that have not changed a bit in ten years and there were a couple of people who are doing great which was really nice to see. I am glad that I went, it wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it could be. My guess is that there are maybe two people that I may talk to between now and our twenty year and that is ok. I wish them all the very best life has to offer them.

Happy Birthday Friend!!!

Happy birthday Sarah!!! I am so glad that you are my friend. I love that we met when we were little girls and reconnected almost ten years ago...my how time flies. I love that we have been able to build a strong friendship through the ups and downs of life. I love that we had our baby girls just four months apart and that we live close enough that we get to share memories together as mommies. I love that even if it is a month in between visits we can connect like no time has passed at all. I love you!

I hope that this is such a special day and year for you friend. I can't believe that you are so old- haha. I hear that the best is yet to come and I am believing that for you and me both.

One For The Record Books

Holy Toledo!!!! Last night my baby girl fell asleep around 6:15 on our way home from Target. I thought since she had only napped for all of twenty minutes all day I would let her nap for about thirty minutes and then wake her up so we didn't have the longest night ever. She slept in her carseat while we unloaded the car and I cleaned out all the trash, clothes, shoes, etc. that had found a home in the van. Then I picked her up and she stayed crashed out on my shoulder (which she never does by the way). I went in and sat on the couch while Allan put away the groceries, he even turned on the TV and she still slept. I decided that I would go ahead and take her to bed and let fate decide if it was truly bedtime. She did kind of wake up- enough for me to change her diaper and put her pajamas on then she crashed about ten minutes later. I was totally shocked that she slept through the night.
This may not seem like that big of a deal to most of you, but for those of you who know my baby's sleeping habits (or the lack thereof) this was nothing short of a miracle. I would like to report that I spent the rest of the evening cleaning and catching up with my hubby and doing all the other things on my ever growing to do list, but alas I spent it laying on the couch watching The Biggest Loser and then going to bed early as well.

I Have been Better

I have to say that today I am bubbling over with thankfulness for my hubby. Yesterday morning I started having some pain in my neck and as the day progressed the pain got more severe and spread to me head all the way to my abdomen. By last night I could only lay on my left side, I could hardly catch a breath and was not doing well. Allan had a bit of a hard time catching on to the fact that I was needing a little (I mean a lot of) help, but once he figured that out I was so thankful for him. He actually stayed home this morning so I could get some much needed sleep and he was totally in charge of Claire. He had to go to work for the afternoon, but he was sweet enough to make sure that Claire was down for a nap and made me promise not to do anything that could irritate whatever was so wrong yesterday. As for me I am still sore, but feeling better, I can actually breathe now which is a bonus, but I still cannot lay on my right side.

Fountains in the Fall

The weather is crazy right now. The mornings and evenings are beautiful but it still gets really hot in the afternoon. My friend and her daughters joined me and Claire at the new shopping center near our house so we could let our girls play in the fountain. It took a little while for them to warm up to the idea, but once they figured it out they had a blast. They would take snack breaks to munch on their pretzels and play a little chase. What a great afternoon. I am thankful to have the opportunity to build a friendship with Stephanie and it is so nice to have a friend for Claire in the neighborhood as well.

Julia and Claire trying to catch the water

Claire would just stand over the spouts and wait until the water shot up then she would turn and squeal at me, it was so cute! She did get caught off guard a few times and got hit right in the face which was also hilarious.

Claire loves all babies, but Julia's new sister, Amelia, is one of her favorites. It helps that Stephanie is pretty laid back and will let Claire give a little soft touch.
Taking a pretzel break. Don't they look like such big girls?!?!
Every once in awhile the water would take a break which always led to Claire's newest expression. She puts her hands up and says "where'd it go?" (granted it is more tones than actual words, but you can understand what she means)

Pumpkin Patch

We went to The Original Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch today with my sister,Amy, our friend, Randi, and our kids. It was fun although it took awhile for Claire to warm up to the idea of being there. It was so cute to watch her and her cousin Cooper climb around on the pumpkins and jump in the bounce house together. Claire also gained another admirer, Luke. He was so sweet trying to love on her and playing with her. I think that she found him to be pretty fun as well. I am sure that we will make another trip out there with Allan and my other nieces adn nephews before the season is over. It is such a fun place to get great pictures (if the kids will cooperate- haha).




Cooper and Claire checking out the pumpkins
Claire liked playing peek-a-boo in this pumpkin cut out
climbing Mt. Pumpkin
I just love this picture of Coop, he is so cute
a little photo op with my girl (pardon the sorority smile I am sporting)Luke making eyes at my Claire BearClaire thought he was pretty funnyCooper having fun in the bounce house

Claire taking a peaceful break in the bounce house

Fun Things To Do

Claire has a few favorite activities to do these days. She is very into shoes and is beginning to show an interest in picking out her own clothes. Her all time favorite thing to do is watch The Wiggles and dance. I tell you what those four singing colorful men have saved my sanity- thank you Australia for sharing your very talented toddler entertainers hehe. Another thing we enjoy is playing outside together. I am thankful that the weather is starting to become a little less hellish although it is still a bit too warm for my taste in the afternoons. Playing ball is a fantastic pastime as well. Claire likes to throw the ball, have it thrown at her (either into her arms or lightly bouncced off of her head), and she has even started kicking it around the living room. I think that we may have a little athlete on our hands...only time will tell.

playing catch with Sassy

she will yell "ball" and then squeal

I love how happy she is in this picture

watching The Wiggles
tossing rocks at the park
climbing up the slide ladder made her so proud
she brought me her shoes and pjs to finish off this outfit
she wore this all afternoon and evening

Oklahoma

Claire and I had such a great time in Oklahoma with Sara, Asher, and Beau. It was really fun to watch the too littlest cousins actually play together. They would play chase, peek-a-boo, climb on anything in their path, and even had a fun afternoon at a park.

playing before bedtime
playing puzzles was a hit
Claire loving on Ash
Claire giving Asher a lesson in anatomy- "nose"
getting a little too adventurous

Here are a few pics of my super cute nephew Asher Case. He is so sweet and is getting more and more funny every time I see him.

trying out a few steps on his ownhe has an amazing amount of teeth for a ten month old

my sweet little redneck nephew (what do you expect, he is an oklahoman?!?!?)